Trinity Sport has successfully delivered the second year of our cardiac screening programme for sport scholarship athletes reinforcing our ongoing commitment to athlete health, safety and wellbeing.
The cardiac screening programme, which is strongly encouraged but not mandatory, was first introduced in Trinity in November 2024 when 45 sport scholarship athletes took part. Our cardiac screening programme continued for a second year in November 2025 when a further 45 scholarship athletes were screened in November 2025.
The initiative was introduced by Lisa Cafferky, Student Sport Pathway Manager at Trinity Sport, drawing on established best practice within high-performance sport as well as Lisa's personal experience of cardiac screening programme as a county player for Mayo in gaelic football. The GAA Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee also recommends cardiac screening for players over the age of 14.
Scholarship athletes are given priority access to the screenings, after which availability is opened to the Trinity Sport performance teams. Cardiac screening is recommended every two years for athletes involved in regular competitive sport.
Speaking about the programme she established, Lisa Cafferky said: “At Trinity Sport we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our scholarship athletes as part of our holistic support programme. Cardiac screening is a quick and effective way of identifying heart conditions that may affect athletes, even when symptoms aren't immediately apparent. We are delighted to provide this important initiative for all of our scholars.”
Hazel Finn (basketball), one of the 45 sports scholars who received cardiac screened in 2025, said: "It's a great thing to be involved in, especially for yourself, especially for me playing a high-performance game nearly every weekend where my heart rate is getting up to a high level. It's great to get a look in my heart and to see if everything is okay."
Sports scholar Hazel Finn (basketball) receives cardiac screening in November 2025
About cardiac screening
Andrew Thompson, Clinic Manager for Advanced Medical Services who conduct the cardiac screenings at Trinity, explained the two-stage process, "One is with our cardiac nurse who does an ECG, assessing the electrical activity and then the rhythm of the heart. In stage two, our doctor does the physical exam and then conducts a personal and family health questionaire which is helpful in identifying who could be a more risk of cardiac issues."
Cardiac screening can help identify underlying heart conditions associated with Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). In Ireland, up to 100 young people die each year from SADS with around 1 in 300 people believed to have an underlying cardiac abnormality. The incidence of SADS is reported to be higher in Ireland than in many other European countries.
The screening service delivered through Trinity Sport follows the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Evidence from international sport highlights the value of early screening with mandatory cardiac screening in Italy leading to an 89% reduction in the incidence of SADS among competitive athletes.